'Absolutely devastating': Struggling duty-free stores call for end to ArriveCan app
Duty-free shops along Canada's border, like the one in Emerson, are continuing to report record low sales.
Driving home to Colorado from his trip to Canada, Jim Payson decided to stop at the Emerson Duty Free Shop to buy some gifts and a bottle of Crown Royal.
"This was the first time since COVID that we've been across, so it's been probably four years ago last time I came across," said Payson.
Michael Resch, the owner of the Emerson Duty Free Shop, said business has been the worst in the decades he's been open.
"The last couple of years have been absolutely devastating with COVID and the border closed, so we had almost no business at all," he said.
While the border has since reopened, tourism hasn't returned to normal.
Resch said on a pre-COVID Sunday in summer, his parking lot would be nearly full -- a very different situation than right now.
"Well, you can see there's the odd car coming in. Most of them are American travellers. There's very little Canadians going out."
Resch said his sales are only a quarter of what a normal summer should be.
The Frontier Duty Free Association (FDFA) says duty-free shops across the country are hurting.
In a recent report, its 17 members reported a 44.82 per cent decrease in sales in July compared to July 2019. A concerning number as July is the prime month for sales.
The report also found peak holidays like Independence Day and the August long weekend were down about the same.
The association believes government hurdles like the ArriveCan app and vaccination requirements stop more tourists from crossing the border.
"It's only hurting tourism business, more over hurting border towns and border community businesses, so it's doing more harm than good," said Barbara Barrett, executive director of the FDFA.
The FDFA is now calling on the feds to scrap the app, hoping it will encourage people to travel.
"It's important not only for myself," said Resch, "It's important for the employees. It's important for the economy."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.